5,833 jobs for Scotland

First Minister Alex Salmond today (September 28, 2014) announced that 5,833 jobs have been created or safeguarded as a result of Scottish Government support through Scottish Enterprise in quarter one and quarter two of 2014/15 – and nearly half of the jobs were created by companies in the US.

This represents an increase of 140% on the same period last year (2013/14).

Among the 2,572 jobs created and safeguarded as a result of US inward investment are:

Synnex-Concentrix – 500 new jobs: a leader in high-value global business services, Concentrix's new 22,000 square foot global delivery centre will be located in the recently transformed Faulds Building in the Faulds Park business complex, overlooking the River Clyde. The new site will build upon the Concentrix worldwide team of 50,000+ globally.

Ceridian UK Limited – 130 new jobs: financial services company Ceridian, will create a new Technology Centre of Excellence, which will host a R&D Technology and IT Support Centre, at their base in Renfrew. The company, which currently started out with 70 employees in Scotland, has experienced sharp growth and currently employs 300 from its Glasgow operation.

Arthur J Gallagher & Co – 67 new jobs; Chicago based insurance brokerage firm AJ Gallagher, will create a Glasgow finance hub for UK activities and generate 67 jobs. This expansion will anchor the existing Glasgow operation as the central finance operation for the organisation’s UK activities. The creation of the additional jobs over the next two years will take the number of staff in Glasgow to 172.

The First Minister said:

“Scotland continues to build on its strong business relationship with the US - the success of which can be plainly seen in the figures I have announced today. Earlier this year, during Scotland Week, I met with representatives from Arthur J Gallagher & Co in New York and they commented that it was our fantastic pool of expertise which was attracting them to invest in Scotland.

“I also met with Ceridian during that visit and the value this kind of engagement brings can be seen in the 5,833 jobs which have been created as a result of Scottish Government support since April, representing a 140% increase on the same period last year. I have every confidence we will see further investment this year and in years to come.”

Lena Wilson, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise, said:

“The US continues to be our largest inward investor. This is testament to the attractiveness of Scotland as a competitive business base with world class skills, infrastructure, natural assets and supply chains, all leading to significant cost savings."